


The fire within

by Redstarangel26



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Mentions of gruvia, Post-Fairy Tail 100 Year Quest Chapter 23, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Natsu Dragneel, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28890543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redstarangel26/pseuds/Redstarangel26
Summary: Lucy asks Natsu to help her train with hand to hand combat. She had felt helpless after watching her best friend lose his mind and she could barely bring him back to his senses. She wanted to be stronger for him. In the process, she wasn’t expecting things to take a rather interesting turn.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Kudos: 24





	The fire within

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new story! But I’ve had an idea brewing for a few weeks and it stuck with me so I’m ready to write it! This takes place right after chapter 22 from the 100-year quest. It technically starts at chapter 23 but I’m changing it from that point on. They don’t leave immediately. They stay behind for about a week.

Lucy spotted Natsu and Happy perched on the hill overlooking the village that they had just saved. She overheard them discussing Natsu’s loss of control over his powers. Lucy gently touched her hand to her chest, remembering the agonizing pain she had felt after the unusual flames burned through her flesh.

She had felt Natsu’s fire before, had even been engulfed in it, and it felt warm and comforting, it felt safe. She had experienced the extreme heat of his flame when she was attempting to rewrite his book, and that had hurt. It felt like she was being burned from the inside out, her blood had felt like it was boiling. 

This though, the flame that he had received from a man that was alleging to be Igneel’s true son, it changed him. It made him into someone that she didn’t ever want to see again. She had felt scared, not for her friend, but of her friend. Lucy clenched her fist over her shirt, hating that fear that crept up on her from the memory. She shouldn’t be afraid of Natsu. He was her biggest comfort, the man that she loved, the one who she could confide in the most without hesitation. But after yesterday, she was hesitant to approach him. 

“Lucy!” Happy cheered jumping up from his spot next to his owner and flying over to her. Natsu titled his head back and looked at her upside down.  
“What’s up Luce?” He asked, giving her a full-fanged smile. Her heart jumped, his adorable expression reminding her that this was Natsu, clueless, ignorant, sweet, powerful and loving Natsu, she shouldn’t be afraid of him. Lucy dropped her hand back to her side, the pain of her burn suddenly forgotten. 

“I was just wondering where you two had gone. We are going to stick around this town for about a week to rest up.” She explained, shuffling forward to stand next to Natsu. He brought his head back down and looked over the city of Elmina. 

“Maybe I can fight Lord Water Dragon!” He exclaimed. Lucy rolled her eyes and plopped down next to him in the grass. Happy flew over to her and curled up in her lap. 

“Natsu?” Lucy voiced, eyeing him. He made a noise of acknowledgment and looked over at her. 

“While we are resting here, I was wondering if you could help me with something.” She said. Natsu raised an eyebrow. “With what Luce?” He asked. A blush spread across Lucy’s cheeks and she looked away, not being able to look into his emerald eyes. 

“I want to get better at fighting. I trained a lot before the war, but I still feel like I could learn more about hand to hand combat. I want to be more useful.” She said, picking at the grass, avoiding looking at Natsu’s reaction. 

“Luce, you’re already really strong.” He stated simply. “But if you feel that is what you want I could definitely help you out!” He said.  
“We will need to work on your stamina, and then maybe we can fight for real!” He started to ramble, getting excited at the thought of fighting. Lucy giggled and scratched Happy’s ear, his tail swishing back and forth with content. 

She wanted to trust him again, she didn’t want to be afraid of his fire, of him. She never wanted to experience that fear again, and she felt that if she were stronger, she would be able to protect him from going off the deep end again. 

“Lushi..” Happy mumbled. She looked down at the blue cat, he was looking up at her, worry etched in his expression.  
“How is the burn?” He asked. His question stopped Natsu’s rambling, his body going rigged. 

“It’s much better thanks to Wendy! It’s still tender though, she said it could take a few days to fully heal since it was such a severe burn.” She ran her hand over her chest, her skin tingling unpleasantly from the friction from her clothing. 

“Luce.” Natsu whispered. She looked over at him, his eyes were shining, almost as if he were about to cry. Lucy placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m the one that chose to do that. Anyways, I’m feeling much better and I’m ready to start our training.” Natsu’s shoulders fell and he looked over at his companion, her long blonde hair was gently moving with the wind, her brown eyes were shining with confidence. 

“Okay, we can start tomorrow. But you have to tell me if you ever start to feel pain.” He said. Lucy nodded. Natsu took a deep breath and gave a big smile. 

“Alright! I’m all fired up!” He cheered, jumping up from his position. Lucy smiled at him, noticing his forced behavior. She knew that he was shaken up about the whole thing, but he didn’t want to show her how badly it affected him.

“Maybe you’ll actually lose a few pounds.” Happy laughed out. Lucy looked down at the blue cat, but before she could grab his face, he jumped out of her lap and sprouted his wings.  
“Get back here you damn cat!” She shrieked, running after him. Natsu watched the two fondly and slowly followed after them. He swore he would never hurt Lucy, knowing that the year he had spent away from her practically tore her apart. Yet here he was, hurting his best friend in the worst way possible. With his own power, his fire. He’s always used it to save her, to protect her, he had never wanted her to be on the receiving end of his fury. If only he had better control of himself, if only he were stronger. 

“Natsu! Come on!” Happy called flying back over to his partner. Natsu sighed and smiled at his blue furred companion. He swore on his own life, Lucy would never get hurt by his hands ever again.  
————————————  
That night, Lucy sat in Wendy’s room, her shirt pooled around her waist as her cool healing magic worked on her burn.  
“How is it feeling Lucy-San?” She questioned, gently running her fingers over her stomach where the burn wasn’t as severe.  
“It’s still pretty tender, but much better after your help.” She exclaimed, wincing as she hovered over her breasts, the worst part of her burn.  
“It should only take a few more days for it to completely heal, you’re lucky it didn’t do any permanent damage.” She whispered. Everyone had been really worried about Natsu and her after the incident, not knowing how to react to the situation. 

“Lucy-San, why did you do it?” Wendy asked moving her hands away, indicating she was done with the session for the day. The blonde mage sighed and gathered her shirt up and latched on the gold tassels across to the other button. 

“Something told me that he wouldn’t have stopped unless I did something. I-“ she paused, looking at the young girl in front of her. Wendy was a bright, strong girl, but part of her worried that if she knew how scared she had been, then her world would come crashing down. Wendy looked up to Natsu, loved him as a big brother, and anyone could see that. She didn’t want to take that light away from her. 

“I was scared too.” Wendy whispered, clutching the fabric of her dress tightly in her hands. Lucy grabbed her hands and pulled them up and relaxed her fists. 

“It was scary, he wasn’t the bumbling idiot that we all know and love. But I have faith that he understands his weakness and will continue to fight it as hard as he can. He would never hurt us intentionally.” Lucy stated softly, trying to soothe the sky dragon’s worries. She smiled and grasped Lucy’s hands tightly in her own.

“You really love him, don’t you?” Wendy inquired, a smirk on her face. It reminded the celestial mage of a certain feline. She stuttered and felt her face grow warm.  
“W-what? You’re insane!” Lucy yelled too loudly, her heart starting to pick up a rapid beat. Wendy just giggled and stood up from her chair and heading to the door. 

“Let me know if you need anymore sessions! I can temporarily take away the pain.” Lucy got up and followed her to the door, bending down and hugging the younger woman.

“Thanks Wendy, let me know if you ever need to talk about anything.” She smiled and walked out into the hallway, waving at the dragon slayer. Lucy made her way down to her room, at the very end of the hall. She reached for the doorknob and froze when she heard a noise come from within. Irritation started to rise up until she was ready to burst and yell at the intruder. She opened the door, ready with a loud, shrill exclamation, sure to harm her partners ears, but what she saw before her made her grow very still. 

Natsu was curled up on her her bed, blanket tangled in his limbs, his face was covered in sweat, pale and tears were streaking down his cheeks. He twitched a few times and cried out a few mumbled words. Happy was next to him, gently stroking his hair across his forehead. 

“Happy?” Lucy whispered across the room. The blue exceed started, looking up at her in shock.  
“Lushi, what are you doing in our room?” He asked. The celestial mage frowned and double checked the room number. It was indeed her room. She closed the door, the light from the hallway disappearing, bringing a new dark into the room. She could barely see where she was going, grasping in front of her to feel the wall. 

“Happy this is my room, your room is next door.” She explained quietly. Her shin hit something hard and she bit her tongue to prevent from yelping. She felt a small soft paw grasp her hand and pull her forward. 

“I guess we weren’t paying attention. Natsu wasn’t feeling well.” He explained, guiding Lucy to the bed. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she could see the lump that was her best friend on the bed. 

“What’s wrong with him?” She asked gently reaching to brush his bangs aside. Before Happy could answer, Natsu jumped up, screaming. 

“Lucy! No!” The said mage jumped in her seat, not expecting her name to come from his lips. Natsu clutched his chest, his breathing labored.  
“Natsu?” Lucy whispered. He jumped and snapped his head up to her. Even in the dark, she could see his eyes grow wide, his emerald irises practically glowing in the dark. 

“Lucy?” His voice was hoarse and he sounded unsure. Suddenly the room was flooded with light, Happy having clicked on the lamp on the bedside table. Lucy held in a gasp at the sight of her partner. His skin was pale, sweat shining on his entire body, and he had dark bags under his eyes. He gingerly reached out a hand, the tips of his fingers running along the skin of her knee. 

“Na-“ before she could get out his name, she was tackled backwards in a hug. His arms wrapped around her in a vice. She could barely breathe and her burn was screaming at her. 

“Natsu! My burn.” She exclaimed. He immediately pulled away, his eyes wide again, and he quickly pushed his body away as far from her as possible. Happy grabbed onto Natsu’s hand, almost like a comfort. 

“Lucy, w-what are you doing in my room?” He asked, almost trying to seem nonchalant. Lucy narrowed her eyes and scooted forward so she was closer to him. In response he tried to shuffle away, but his back hit the headboard. 

“This is my room dummy, you’re supposed to be next door.” She said, gesturing to her things sitting organized on the dresser and chair. Natsu face-palmed and ran his hand down to his mouth. 

“I’m sorry, I was a little distracted. I’ll get out of your hair-“ Lucy suddenly jumped up from her spot and leaped forward to grab both of his wrists. 

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not leaving until you tell me what’s bothering you.” She said. Color had started to return to his face, giving him his natural tanned tone again. The faded scar on his cheek was no longer profound. Natsu held her gaze for a few seconds before breaking and turning away. 

“I can’t.” He mumbled. Lucy huffed and pulled his wrists toward her so he leaned forward a bit. 

“Natsu Dragneel, you are my best friend and I will not let you suffer alone, especially since this seems to be about me.” She said, determination marring her features, her grip tight enough to just hurt, but not bruise. Natsu looked over at his feline companion and sighed.

“You’re too stubborn for you’re own good.” He grumbled, pulling his wrists away from her grasp and sitting back, relaxed. Lucy sat back and crossed her legs, giving him her full undivided attention. 

“Okay kettle.” She fired back. He only raised his eyebrow at her, clearly confused by her choice of words. “Ugh nevermind, it’s just an expression.” She said waving at him in annoyance. He shrugged and moved the blanket off of his lap. It was then that Lucy became aware of his lack of clothing. He was only in his boxers, and she was proud to say that they were pink like his hair. She wanted to desperately comment on it, but decided against it. Instead Happy said something. 

“He chose pink because it’s your favorite color.” He giggled, his cheeks puffed. Natsu’s cheeks bloomed a bright red and Lucy’s face followed suit. 

“Happy!” He exclaimed, quickly pulling the blanket over his lap again. Lucy was frozen still watching as the two argued. He got something because it was her favorite color? Why would he do that? 

“Lucy don’t listen to him, Gray had dared me to get something to match my hair, and well I did, but they’re really comfortable.” He scratched his cheek, his eyes avoiding her. She took a deep breath and pushed down the disappointment. Of course it wasn’t because of her. She needed to stop getting her hopes up. 

“Look, I’m really tired, and I imagine you are as well considering the last few days we’ve had. I promise I will tell you eventually, I’m just not ready.” He said. His honesty surprised her, not expecting that explanation. 

“I’ll just let you be-“ he started to shuffle out of the bed, but against her better judgement, Lucy grabbed his wrist again. 

“Can you stay with me tonight?” She asked, a blush painting her cheeks and ears. He looked bewildered. 

“Well! Something is obviously bothering you! And maybe sleeping next to someone will help.” She quickly explained, trying to cover up the true reason she wanted him to stay. He had been keeping his distance from her ever since he burned her a few days ago. He would barely even touch her, which was unusual for him. He was constantly making some type of contact with her through out the day, whether is was an arm around the shoulder, a few fingers brushing against her hand, his hand wrapped around her wrist, or his hand pressed gently into her back to guide her. He was a very affectionate man when he wanted to be, and it was obvious that he craved human touch and intimacy. Probably due to the abandonment of his foster ‘father’ at such a young age, and even his best friend ‘dying’ while they were both still relatively young. 

He smiled fondly at the blonde and scooted over to the other side, making room for her to lay down next to him. She stood up and smiled at him warily. 

“Let me get changed. Happy do you want a wash down?” She asked. The cat jumped up and flew with her to the bathroom. It had become part of their routine, something that Happy relished in. Regardless of their bantering like relationship, Happy loved her, and her him. She would help wipe down his fur and rub some essential oils into his back to help soothe him and relax him. He said that only she was allowed to help bathe him from then on. Natsu didn’t complain, having stated that he was impossible to get into a bath anyways. Happy was never difficult for her. She loved to spoil him, rubbing his ears and brushing out all of the knots in his fur with her fingers. 

He settled down on the sink and discarded his knapsack, not having yet disposed of it before bed. Lucy instructed him to close his eyes and started to get dressed for bed. Once she was done, she got to work on getting Happy situated. She filled the sink with hot water and grabbed a wash cloth and dunked it in. Happy laid on his stomach in anticipation for the water. 

“Is Natsu really okay?” She whispered as she wiped away the days dirt from his blue fur. He peaked open an eye and smiled. 

“He’s been struggled with this on and off for almost two years. He will be okay.” He said. That shocked Lucy. He had been suffering for that long and hadn’t told her? Or even worse, she hadn’t noticed, not in the times he had slept over at her house numerous nights in a row. She grabbed the lavender oil and placed one drop on her hand and kneaded it into Happy’s back. She never used too much considering both he and Natsu had sensitive noses, especially Natsu. Happy sighed contentedly. Lucy giggled and finished up by rubbing his ears and then washing off her hands. He stood up and opened the door, floating out to his owner. Lucy shut off the light and made her way to the bed. Natsu was already lying down, his eyes closed and his breathing even. 

“Poor thing must be exhausted.” She whispered, shuffling in next to him, careful not to disturb the sleeping dragon slayer. Happy curled up into a ball in between the two mages and started to purr. Lucy turned on her side and watched Natsu. His face was relaxed, and a the corners of his mouth were slightly quirked down. She frowned and scooted closer to him. She hoped her close proximity helped him tonight. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.


End file.
